What is guilty pleasure, causes and examples

There are an infinite number of situations that can generate a sense of well-being and important tranquility. When we reach these levels in the development of daily life, it is understandable that we experience constant happiness and joy derived from the action performed. However, in this type of situation other feelings may also come into play that oppose the initial optimism. In fact, it is not something strange that this happens, since human beings are immersed in a series of internal contradictions that move conflicting desires. After all, that's what life is all about. Understanding this type of mechanism allows establishing greater knowledge on a personal level that can be used in various spheres of life.

In this Psychology-Online article we will explain what is guilty pleasure, causes and examples.

Index

1. What is a guilty pleasure
2. Why do we feel guilty about something that gives us pleasure?
3. Common Guilty Pleasure Examples
4. Is it good to indulge in guilty pleasures?

guilty pleasure is feeling of well-being for having performed a certain action, but that causes us concern because we believe that it is something harmful to the person himself or to third parties.

In other words, this pleasure is based on the belief of having caused discomfort despite the fact that one's own action also produces satisfaction. It's about the manifestation of two conflicting emotions because they produce sensations with different meanings.

Sometimes, certain mandates make it difficult for us to access moments of happiness full. As a consequence, this can lead to the belief that a person has performed an action that caused harm or a negative result. It is in these cases that a feeling of guilt arises that is mixed with pleasure.

In turn, it can also be thought that what has been done has not been sufficiently beneficial for that same person or for their environment. The presence of two opposite sensations is part of the characteristics of the human being and has its origin in childhood situations.

Likewise, some theoretical currents maintain that childhood is the period that makes up the greatest number of personality aspects that will manifest during adulthood. In this sense, some traumatic marks can trigger intense feelings of guilt manifest in pleasurable situations. In this article you will find What is guilt in psychology.

In order to give greater clarity to the theme that we are deploying, mention will be made of some hypothetical situations that make up this pattern. In this section, we will talk about common guilty pleasure examples:

• Foods that are detrimental to physical health but are enjoyed: Gluttony, sugary drinks, among others, can be included here.
• Movies and series that have already gone out of style, but still persist in a person's life
• Spend several hours of personal leisure doing nothing that can be considered as productive from a social point of view.

However, despite the description we have made, it is necessary to mention that the guilty pleasure will be directly proportional to the activities and interests from each person. Here factors such as age, sex, traumatic experiences or purchasing power, among others, intervene.

To answer this question, we must first make some considerations. First, the guilt that a specific pleasurable action generates may be experienced by one person but not by another. For this reason, it is not convenient to make a generalization of the concept of guilty pleasure, since in this way the essence of each human being is lost.

both guilt and shame are barriers imposed by the human mind to feel the sensation that there is no perfection nor decisions that represent total compliance. The ideal would be to avoid the feeling of guilt that arises from specific actions and that prevents us from carrying out a state of tranquility. The image that is offered to the outside and that people in the social environment perceive make up possible ways of establishing links.

However, when these condition attitudes, thoughts and emotions that cause deep personal discomfort, internal conflicts arise. Keeping this point in mind, it is good to indulge in guilty pleasures. as long as it is possible to reflect about the true essence of the action.

This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is guilty pleasure, causes and examples, we recommend that you enter our category of Social psychology.

• Echeburúa, E., Corral, P., Amor, P. (2001). Coping strategies against feelings of guilt. Behavior Analysis and Modification, 27 (116), 905-929.